Before The Waters Exhibition- Upper Liffey Valley Aerial Survey 1939

Before The Waters- Blessington History Society

Before the Water – Upper Liffey Valley Aerial Survey 1939
The upper Liffey and King’s river valleys in the Blessington and Ballymore Eustace areas were flooded during the early 1940s following the construction of dams at Poulaphuca and Golden Falls. The primary purpose of the dams was to create a large water storage reservoir to ensure the ongoing supply of water to the growing population of Dublin. The dams also generated hydro-electricity and were operated by the ESB.

Heritage Exhibition Design — Blessington Bridge & Mill

The reservoir created by the Poulaphuca dams covered a large area of over 5,600 acres. Many local residents were displaced by the flooding, and their homes and other buildings were demolished. Since the 1940s the upper Liffey and King’s River valley areas have also been heavily forested which has obscured much of the original landscape.

Irish Air Corps Aerial Survey 1939
During May 1939 prior to the flooding of the valleys the Irish Air Corps took over 50 aerial photographs of the area to be affected by the flooding and also of adjacent villages (Hollywood) and natural features (Lugnagun)These aerial photographs recorded much of the area which was later covered by the waters of the reservoir and by the forestry plantations.

Irish Air Corps operated Avro Anson twin propeller engine aircraft
The Irish Air Corps operated Avro Anson twin propeller engine aircraft in photo-reconnaissance and other roles from the 1930s until the 1960s. Avro Anson aircraft were used by the Air Corps to take the pictures of the Upper Liffey valley in May 1939 displayed in this exhibition.The Avro Anson was a twin-engine, multi-role aircraft built by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and numerous other air forces before, during, and after the Second World War.

At Eamon Sinnott & Partners we bring collaborative skills and a fresh perspective with a thorough understanding of the process of developing new audiences and funder requirements. This complements our clients’ specialist knowledge and enables us to deliver a wide range of services to support audience development and activity planning.

The Exhibition received much media Coverage in the Local Press and Newspapers and on Social Media and had over 1,280 visitors over week.